1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sinker for a knitting machine, especially to a sinker that is used to produce loop piles of various lengths.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
Sinkers are important elements for the knitting machine. With the sinkers and the bearded needles reciprocating axially and transversely in the knitting machine, yarn loops are knitted. The sinkers have predetermined configuration and are arranged radially in the knitting machine, wherein the sinkers are arranged at intervals alternately with one longer sinker and one shorter sinker or with one protrusion.
With reference to FIG. 12, a conventional sinker is elongated and has a belly 31 and a nib 30 formed on one end thereof. The end of the nib 30 protrudes upward slightly. A throat 32 is formed between the nib 30 and the belly 31 and has two flat sidewalls. The conventional sinker has a butt 33 formed on another end thereof. A protrusion 34 is formed on a top edge of the butt 33.
With further reference to FIG. 13, when two yarns 40, 41 on the needles are mounted in the throat 32, the yarns 40, 41 are located at the same horizontal position so that the yarns 40, 41 are knitted to a smooth fabric. With further reference to FIG. 14, when one yarn 40 on the needle is mounted in the throat 32 while the other yarn 41 on the needle is mounted on the nib 30, a vertical gap is formed between the yarns 40, 41 so that a pile loop having the same length with the gap is knitted.
However, the conventional sinker can only knit smooth fabric or fabric with pile loops having uniform length such that the appearance and the tactile impression of the fabric are monotonous. If the user needs different pile loops of different lengths, the user needs to change different conventional sinkers of different sizes and still cannot have different pile loops of different lengths in the same fabric.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a sinker to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.